MKT 202
Trap-Ease America: The Big Cheese of
Mousetraps
BACKGROUND
A group of investors had formed Trap-Ease
America in January after it had obtained
worldwide rights to market the innovative
mousetrap. In return for marketing rights,
the group agreed to pay the inventor and
patent holder, a retired rancher, a royalty
fee for each trap sold. The group then hired
Martha to serve as president and to develop
and manage the Trap-Ease America
organization.
Trap-Ease America contracted with a
plastics-manufacturing firm to produce the
traps. The trap consisted of a square,
plastic tube measuring about 6 inches long
and 1-1/2 inches in diameter. The tube bent
in the middle at a 30-degree angle, so that
when the front part of the tube rested on a
flat surface, the other end was elevated.
The elevated end held a removable cap into
which the user placed bait (cheese, dog
food, or some other aromatic tidbit). The
front end of the tube had a hinged door.
When the trap was “open,” this door rested
on two narrow “stilts” attached to the two
bottom corners of the door. (See Exhibit 1.)
The simple trap worked very efficiently. A
mouse, smelling the bait, entered the tube
through the open end. As it walked up the
angled bottom toward the bait, its weight
made the elevated end of the trap drop
downward. This action elevated the open
end, allowing the hinged door to swing
closed, trapping the mouse. Small teeth on
the ends of the stilts caught in a groove on
the bottom of the trap, locking the door
closed. The user could then dispose of the
mouse while it was still alive, or the user
could leave it alone for a few hours to
suffocate in the trap.
Martha believed the trap had many
advantages for the consumer when
Principles of Marketing
14 E
NHSU
compared with
traditional spring-
loaded traps or
poisons.
Consumers could
use it safely and
easily with no risk
of catching their
fingers while
loading it. It posed
no injury or
poisoning threat to
children or pets.
Furthermore, with
Trap-Ease,
consumers
avoided the unpleasant “mess” they often
encountered with the violent spring-loaded
traps. The Trap-Ease created no “clean-up”
problem. Finally, the user could reuse the
trap or simply throw it away.
Martha’s early research suggested that
women were the best target market for the
Trap-Ease. Men, it seemed, were more
willing to buy and use the traditional, spring-
loaded trap. The targeted women, however,
did not like the traditional trap. These
women often stayed at home and took care
of their children. Thus, they wanted a
means of dealing with the mouse problem
that avoided the unpleasantness and risks
that the standard trap created in the home.
To reach this target market, Martha decided
to distribute Trap-Ease through national
grocery, hardware, and drug chains such as
Safeway, Kmart, Hechingers, and CB Drug.
She sold the trap directly to these large
retailers, avoiding any wholesalers or other
middlemen.
The traps sold in packages of two, with a
suggested retail price of $2.49. Although
this price made the Trap-Ease about five to
ten times more expensive than smaller,
standard traps, consumers appeared to
offer little initial price resistance. The
MKT 202 NHSU

manufacturing cost for the Trap-Ease, Martha knew that the investor group
including freight and packaging costs, was believed that Trap-Ease America had a
about 31 cents per unit. The company paid “once-in-a-lifetime chance” with its
an additional 8.2 cents per unit in royalty innovative mousetrap, and she sensed the
fees. Martha priced the traps to retailers at group’s impatience with the company’s
99 cents per unit (two units to a package) progress so far. She had budgeted
and estimated that, after sales and volume approximately $250,000 in administrative
discounts, Trap-Ease would produce net and fixed costs for the first year (not
revenue from retailers of 75 cents per unit. including marketing costs). To keep the
investors happy, the company needed to
To promote the product, Martha had
sell enough traps to cover those costs and
budgeted approximately $60,000 for the first
make a reasonable profit.
year. She planned to use $50,000 of this
amount for travel costs to visit trade shows Questions for Discussion
and to make sales calls on retailers. She
1. Martha and the Trap-Ease America
planned to use the remaining $10,000 for
investors believe they face a once-in-a-
advertising. So far, however, because the
lifetime opportunity. What information do
mousetrap had generated so much
they need to evaluate this opportunity? How
publicity, she had not felt that she needed to
do you think the group would write its
do much advertising. Still, she had placed
mission statement? How would you write it?
advertising in Good Housekeeping (after all,
the trap had earned the Good 2. Has Martha identified the best target
Housekeeping Seal of Approval) and in market for Trap-Ease? What other market
other “home and shelter” magazines. segments might the firm target?
Martha was the company’s only
salesperson, but she intended to hire more 3. How has the company positioned the
salespeople soon. Trap-Ease for the chosen target market?
Could it position the product in other ways?
Martha had initially forecasted Trap-Ease’s
first-year sales at five million units. Through 4. Describe the current marketing mix for
April, however, the company had only sold Trap-Ease. Do you see any problems with
several hundred thousand units. Martha this mix?
wondered if most new products got off to 5. Who is Trap-Ease America’s
such a slow start, or if she was doing competition?
something wrong. She had detected some
problems, although none seemed overly
serious. For one, there had not been
enough repeat buying. For another, she had
noted that many of the retailers upon whom
she called kept their sample mousetraps on
their desks as conversation pieces—she
wanted the traps to be used and
demonstrated. Martha wondered if
consumers were also buying the traps as
novelties rather than as solutions to their
mouse problems.

Principles of Marketing
14 E